The Game of Life

The Game of Life

Winning strategies from our expert

He’s a serial entrepreneur, author and salesman who believes that selling done correctly is an act of service. His Chicago-based business, GrowthPlay, helps organizations grow. How? By improving the skills and execution of sales professionals. One of his top tips to anyone who wants to be successful is to remember that setbacks can be helpful.

What’s the biggest mistake people make when selling themselves?
One of the biggest mistakes is to try to sell themselves at all — at least in the traditional sense. A far better approach is to engage in a conversation about what is important to a person or a situation. Then and only then — when you understand the situation — does it make sense to explain how you might be helpful.

Can an employee apply lessons learned from entrepreneurs?
One principle successful entrepreneurs utilize is “create, don’t compete.” Success stories are about creating a new way of doing things (Airbnb), developing a new business model (Amazon) or creating a product that no one thought they would need (Apple). This notion of “create” is applicable to all. How do you create a way of doing something that is different and better than the status quo?

Are you really a fan of a setback?
Over my nearly 40-year career I’ve learned not everything one does in life or business works. Sometimes a decision is the right one, but it ends up badly. Don’t lose faith; consider it just a setback but important for learning what does work.